How could the pesach-offer be made by the whole nation in one single place?

Question

I noticed in Devarim 16:2 in my own words that at the times wehen the Beit HaMikdash still stood one had to sacrifice the Pesach lamb in the place which the Lord will choose to make His Shekinah dwell there.. verse 5 states it may not be sacrificed the Pesach within any of the gates (of the cities), which HaShem has given us. (verse 6) Except at the place which HaShem, will choose to establish His Name, there will it be slaughtered, (verse 7) there it will be roasted and eaten, in the place which HaShem has chosen, and in the morning everyone who has done so shall return to their dwellings.

Was this the only place where one would keep the erev pesach and eat of the Pesach offering? How could the whole nation celebrate it and make the pesach at one place?

Answer 1

The procedure is dealt with in Mishna Pesachim 5 (5, 6 & 7).

5) The Pesach sacrifice was slaughtered in three groups, as it is stated (Exodus 12:6), "The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it," [i.e. three groups according to the three different terms used to refer to the Jews:] assembly, congregation, and Israel. The first group entered, [until] the [Temple] courtyard was filled, [and then] the gates of the courtyard were closed. [And then] Tekiah [a long uninterrupted call], Teruah [a long staccato call] and Tekiah were sounded. The Kohanim [members of the priestly caste, a subgroup of tribe of Levi, which is uniquely responsible for maintaining and carrying out the sacrificial services in the Temple] would stand in double rows and in their hands were beakers of silver and beakers of gold, [namely] one row which was completely silver, and one row which was completely gold; they would not mix [them]. And there were no [flat] bottoms to the beakers, lest they would put them down, and the blood coagulate.

6) A [common] Israelite slaughtered [the Pesach sacrifice], and a Kohen received [the blood] and gave it to his fellow [Kohen], and his fellow to his fellow; and [each] received a full [beaker], and [at the same time] returned an empty [one]; the Kohen nearest to the altar, sprinkled it out in one sprinkling at the base [of the altar].

7) When the first group went out, the second group entered; when the second went out, the third entered. Like [the proceedings] of the first [group], so [too] were [the proceedings] of the second and third [groups. Each group] would [also] read the Hallel [Psalms of thanksgiving recited joyously and communally on many festivals]: if they finished [it], they would repeat [it], and if they repeated [it to its end], they would read it a third time; even though, during all their days, they never read it a third time; Rabbi Yehuda says, "During all the days of the third group, they never got [as far as] 'ahavti ki yishma Hashem,' ‏ because [that group's composition] was small."

That was in the time of the mishna. When the Temple is rebuilt (speedily in our days), we might expect that there will be many more people!

Roasting and eating could be in the whole of Jerusalem.